Welcome

As this magazine goes to print, we cannot help but reflect on the staggering year that just passed, one that changed so much about the way we live. It was a year that forced us apart, for our own health and safety, but also, arguably, brought us closer together as communities large and small had to work harder and more creatively to adapt and progress in the face of a harsh new reality. Sullivan County was not spared the loss of life, businesses, or jobs, but it did pull through in several positive ways that we should not overlook. Our smaller world right next to the “Big City” provided a haven for people and families looking to escape NYC when it was the covid “hotspot” of the country. Many weekenders changed their status to “full-time resident,” while other homebuyers discovered our towns for the first time, drawn by the assurance of peace, tranquility, and some fresh air to breathe. In March of 2020, there were over 2,000 homes on the market in Sullivan County. One year later, after bidding wars on nearly every property, only a bit more than 300 are still for sale.

We experienced a very similar real estate boom after 9/11 for many of the same reasons. When life needs a slower pace, and when people seek salvation, they find here the beauty of our mountains, rivers, and lakes, the spacious land, open roads, fresh water, fresh air, and farm fresh foods. We are a place for recovery and discovery, where one can sit quietly with a book, or with pen and paper, a paint brush, or simply alone with their thoughts. And it is in these silences and slower moments when the creativity flows and the artists gift us with their music, their food, their drinks, and their crafts. You will read about them in the pages ahead as well as the new businesses, new residents, new ideas, and fresh energy that the past year has brought.

We have much to be thankful for. Vaccines will soon be in every arm making it safer and easier for people to gather, go to dinner, take in a movie, and celebrate life. Parades will make their way down our Main Streets again. But if we learned anything from the past year, it is that we cannot take these things for granted. We must make sure we protect the natural world around us so that this vital sanctuary continues to provide not only for us, but for those who may one day need it.

Photo by Cat Scott

Lauren Seikaly

We are incredibly excited to announce that this year for the first time in over a decade, JEFFERSONVILLE will host a SUNDAY FARMERS’ MARKET on MAIN STREET!

Ryan & ashli Watson, Wild Russet FaRm

For us, the farmers’ market is our favorite place to be on a summer weekend. It is a place to share a moment with our friends and neighbors, experience the taste of something new or catch up on the latest news in town. It is a place where hard-working farmers & producers of local goods go to share their craft. It is a place to gather outside, to sit under the shade of a tree with a delicious bite, to take a moment to breathe our fresh Catskill mountain air, or perhaps try a new vegetable variety you’ve never even heard of. And most significantly, it is a place that highlights the benefits of the local community and the power of food to bring people together.

In 2016, we began steadily tending to the land we now call Wild Russet Farm, “the farm up on the hill behind town” as we like to refer to it. The farm is home to nearly 200 varieties of vegetables, herbs & flowers and a young fruit orchard using only natural growing practices. We are first-generation farmers that came by way of California who now happily have found our forever home here in the Sullivan Catskills. We reside on the farm with our two cats, flock of sheep, chickens, ducks and a couple hundred thousand bees. We made our way here to lay down roots, to build upon the lessons of those who came before us and to live a selfsustaining life through farming.

While we’ve spent the past few seasons working markets in neighboring towns, it always felt somehow amiss that we had to travel elsewhere to offer the fruits of our labor. And the more we spoke to our neighbors about it, the more we realized we weren’t the only ones who hoped that a market would one day return to Main Street. Fortunately, Lauren Seikaly and the Jeffersonville Bake Shop, shared that hope and graciously fulfilled our request to host the Jeff Farmers’ Market.

Our aim is for the farmers market to provide a place for locals and visitors alike to gather and celebrate the magic of where we live. No matter our differences, we all need food to survive and we all do better when we work together as a community. The strength of our local economic system is reinforced by our choice to lift up local small businesses; by making a purchase at a Farmers’ Market you are directly supporting your neighbor, who in turn uses that dollar to support the next local business, bolstering this interconnected web that keeps us afloat even in the most difficult times. And in this unprecedented year of pandemic we have certainly seen the precious value of our small town communities, how truly linked our outcomes are and how everyone benefits when we take care of each other.

With the excitement of new businesses emerging in town, a newfound energy of growth and a foot firmly planted in the agriculture traditions of Sullivan County, we aim for the Jeffersonville Farmers’ Market to give us yet another reason for us to be proud of the place where we live. The Jeffersonville Farmers’ Market will begin its inaugural season in June and will take place every Sunday from 10am1pm at the Bake Shop in town. We are currently seeking local farm vendors & artisans who would be interested in participating. For more information please visit www.jeffersonvillefarmersmarket.com. We thank you for your support and look forward to seeing you this summer at the market!